Climate change is increasingly becoming a topic laden with anxiety, grief, anger, and other emotions, especially for today’s youth (Marks et al., 2021), leading to a need for educator resources that can help address these emotions. To support the whole student, the following activities explore the relationship between climate and mental health, focusing on accessible, youth-friendly resources that aid teachers in approaching complex and sensitive topics in the classroom.
We recognize that teaching about climate change may give rise to controversy in some classrooms. For strategies to help facilitate difficult discussions, please see the CLEAN teaching support pages on managing climate change discourse. The activities in this set are structured by objectives, overview, and delivery method. They are also aligned with a social-emotional learning focus and the strategies listed in the graphic on the next page.
In the connecting with special places in nature lesson, students identify their emotions, explain their thinking to a peer, and consider caring actions.
Man riding his bicycle on the road.
NOAA/CIRES-CLEAN
Goals Header
What Students Will Do
- Identify emotions that students have for places in nature through drawing.
- Identify one's everyday connections to nature.
- Build reciprocal relationships with natural places.
Teaching Materials
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